Bill would give journalists shield - ".. reluctant to put themselves in a special class"

Houston Texas ^ | April 3, 2005 | JEFFREY GILBERT

[Cincinatus' Wife]

"(This bill) will safeguard the free flow of information to the public by protecting the rights of journalists to protect their sources and communicate the news without unwarranted intrusion," Ellis said.

Bad idea.

[standing united]

How about a bill to protect the rights of Americans under the 2nd amendment?

[Texas_Jarhead]

No special rights for anyone! This is a bad idea and total BS. The media already control the microphone, or bullhorn if you prefer. All this does is loosen, if not remove, what little restraint currently exists.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Wouldn't this create a privileged class of a$$holes who could make up all sorts of lies, citing "unnamed sources" without EVER being called on the carpet?

[philetus]

yep

[Wilhelm Tell]

This seems like a back-handed way for the government to license journalists. If the government has to "protect" journalists, then it has to first determine who is and who is not a "legitimate" journalist. Journalists with the mainstream media will be protected while journalists who are not employed by the big corporations will be targeted. The mainstream media will support this because they follow the party line and it eliminates competition. Scandal-prone politicians are pushing this for obvious reasons -- only "reliable" journalists will have freedom of speech. This is one prong of the attack on the First Amendment -- the other prong is campaign finance reform.

[OKIEDOC]

Count me against it.

To much unnamed sources already.

New York Slimes daily lies proves these arsewholes have to much protection.

[MEG33]

Makes me VERY uncomfortable..

[Cincinatus' Wife]

This seems like a back-handed way for the government to license journalists. If the government has to "protect" journalists, then it has to first determine who is and who is not a "legitimate" journalist. ........

Something to definitely consider.

[Nathan Zachary]

Bad idea. Journalists have to be held accountable for their stories, otherwise we will get nothing but Dan Rather fabrications and "make news" fabrications like the stuff in Israel.
This bill should be killed, and a new one demanding fairness non-bias and truth drafted.

[weegee]

Fogery is already a crime and propaganda designed to provide "aid and comfort" to the enemy is Constitutionally defined as the crime of treason.

Hang them for their sins they already commit.

Spineless simps are giving Rathegate no agency investigation at any level.

[Randy Papadoo]

That's exactly my position on this, but with a twist.

There's nothing I read in the article which stated that journalists are going to be registered or licensed.

In that view, just anyone who has a page of notes, etc, can claim they're journalists and avoid testifying. Something like that happened about a year ago, and I can't remember the circumstances, but a woman with no prior journalistic experience or credentials was called to testify and wouldn't because she claimed to be writing book on the matter, whatever it was. IIRC, she didn't testify.

The system works just fine now. Journalists have to know the line, and that crossing it is at their peril.

[Nathan Zachary]

Bad idea. Journalists have to be held accountable for their stories, otherwise we will get nothing but Dan Rather fabrications and "make news" fabrications like the stuff in Israel.
This bill should be killed, and a new one demanding fairness non-bias and truth drafted.

[Nathan Zachary]

oops,

[Tax Government]

Wouldn't this create a privileged class..

Yes indeed; this must never become law. We also must demand that McCain-Finegold be repealed.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Most journalists are already "Special," but not the way they think...

[dbehsman]

Considering the recent Rathergate fiasco and the obviously fraudulent document reported by ABC in an attempt to smear the Republican party in the Terri Schindler debate, I would have to say to hell with the media. In fact, perhaps we should push for a federal law that would repeal all state laws giving protection to media members.

[malia]

If the media can not stand behind what they write - it should not be written. I'm so tired of reading 'undisclosed source'.

Actually, the media already has this protection - they are just being held a little more accountably thanks to the internet. This bill makes it official that there will be no recourse for the media -- very dangerous!!!

I can't imagine giving the media a protected free hand ---- no accountability.

[Noachian]

We run the very real risk of seeing our reporters and photographers and editors jailed for simply doing their jobs,"

Define what "doing their jobs" means.

If doing the job is defined as slanted journalism to push a publisher's agenda then this bill only gives the MSM something to hide behind.

A bill like this can only lead to abuses and legalized slander by "unnamed sources", and any politician who signs onto it should be held accountable.

[devolve]

-- There really needs to be a "Snopes" style website to expose fraud and crimes by the media and journalists.

-- Transcripts, sources, dates, audios, footnotes, videos, references....

EXAMPLES:

Then anyone can quickly find the details on Dan Rather/CBS/ViaCom, Walter Cronkite/CBS, Mark Halprin/ABC, Walter "Commie" Durante/NYT, Jason Blair etc.......